Cobb saddle on a MTB?

A few months into putting heavy mileage on my trainer, I received an unpleasant surprise. A sensation that when I described it to my wife, was immediately diagnosed as a bladder infection (burning, frequent urination, always feel like you have to pee, did I mention burning?). Yes, she did chuckle a bit. A few days later, I saw my doc for my annual and she said stop with the cranberry pills and get a Different saddle for your trainer. After much research, I bought a Cobb and the "bladder infection" was gone in two days.

Well, now that I am building mileage on my MTB, I started getting the same symptoms. Thinking of switching to a Cobb and wondering if anyone on the forum has used one on a MTB... And the pluses and minuses (besides weight gain).

Thanks for any input.

Strandleper

 

Well... Without getting too personal, my doctor also recommended a different saddle a couple years ago. I went with the Adamo Peak from ISM. Thr Cobb saddles look similar. The only time I use a regular saddle now is when I do the occasional road century.

I had similar health issues as you, and my doc recommended a saddle which would not put undue stress and pressure on the guy parts. It looks funny, but I haven't had any issues since I switched, and I never go numb...

http://www.ismseat.com/saddle/adamo-peak/

 

As @herzalot would say, "Wait, what?"
I'm confused a bit. A saddle would not cause a "Bladder Infection"... right? But Bladder Infection "like" symptoms? I've been fortunate enough to never have man part issues common to mountain biking other than the usual uncomfortable saddle.
I don't know what a Cobb Saddle is but I like Cobb Salads!

@Faust29 I looked at that Lazyboy you linked to. Holy Smokes! Does it recline? I notice they say nothing about weight...

Upon asking about saddles here and then seeking reviews on the top most comfortable saddles I ended up with... (sigh*) a Specialized Phenom saddle. I'm not proud of it . But it s a wider/flatter saddle which apparently was what I needed for my fat azz... (at least the "S" is black on black)

 

Problem #1 is putting a ton of time on your trainer....you just tend to sit, and sit, and sit, and sit, and sit.....it does not replicate real riding conditions. Out on your bike at least you move around more....stand, sit, shift your weight forward back depending on the climbs.

It is recommended that every 15 mins or so on the trainer to stand for a minute or 2 to allow the blood to freely flow. I noticed some issues beginning in long road rides because I was seated for so long.

Now on the mtn bike, I have no issues, even with rides over 10 hrs. I have to stand more often, but my parts don't have any problems.

 

Mmmmmmm......love me a good Cobb Salad.

 

I tried sitting on a Cobb Salad once and I found it extremely comfortable... but, that's another topic...

 

Thanks much for the responses so far. The Cobb is a slimmed down version of the lazy boy that Faust uses.

To clarify, "bladder infection like symptoms" not an actual bladder infection. Caused by stress to the man parts.

Strand

 

My wife keeps my balls in her purse so this is a non issue for me

 

No, saddles don't cause bladder infections... But a normal saddle puts undue stress on the prostrate area, as well as all of the other guy parts. It's why we see so many saddles with the indentation in the middle nowadays. Those depressions ain't just for show... Mine just goes a step further, and splits down the middle completely. The back of the saddle is designed to force the rider to use the sit bones instead of the fleshy parts.

It helped that my doctor is an avid cyclist... And he got tired of seeing me.

 

I had the same symptoms sometime last year. Was using the stock Bontrager saddle. Did some research and came across this saddle which I am very happy with and no issues as of yet....

http://www.selleitalia.com/en/prodotti/offroad/pagina_max/

$20 less than what I bought it for on Amazon right now!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0078XN4QE/?tag=imtbtrails-20

 

+1 for me.

1) I too love Cobb salads
2) Been riding the Spesh Phenom gel for a couple years now and my man parts are happy. Especially the padded nose that fits nicely in the appropriate spot when climbing.

 

The nose is actually what some of the "anatomically designed" saddles eliminate... It's hard to tell from the pictures, but my saddle is quite a bit shorter than a standard saddle. When I sit and spin, there's nothing to press against the man parts. They fly free over the front!

 

This reminds me so much of Sam Kinnison...

 

That is my main concern... 50-100 yard super steeps... (for example drainpipes, whose your daddy, etc. in LWP) when I am laid out over my front bars to keep the front wheel down... with the nose of my saddle hitting the sweet spot to keep weight on the rear wheels... not sure how two noses would work in that situation.

 

"Yeah, we have deserts, too... we just don't have people that live in them!"
NSFW

 

I know exactly what you are saying... Gotta be better then the front of your saddle poking you in dah azz... right?

 

The Phenom Expert nose is slightly angled downwards, padded, and not too narrow....so the sweet spot fit is pretty...sweet. When climbing, I mean.

 

It helps to ice it down.

 

Speshy makes great products, even if the Evil Red S is the devil. No need to be embarrassed, especially with your balls on the line!

 

There is always this contraption:




While a bit strange looking, the Infinity saddle is far from the most bizarre saddle we’ve seen. Resembling a typical saddle in its silhouette, the Infinity stands out not for what is visible, but by what is missing. Namely, the center of the saddle.

What may seem like a bizarre take on the traditional bike saddle has proven itself through successful Kickstarter, and further refinements to become the N-Series and L-Series saddles that are available today. If the full cutout N-Series is a bit intimidating, the L-Series might be more to your liking…




So just what is going on with this crazy thing? Well, as it was explained to us at Press Camp, the idea is to take the pressure of the pelvic bones. This causes the Glutes to take up more of the brunt of support, but more importantly distributing the pressure more evenly to reduce pressure points. Infinity promises comfort without a break in period as well as a flexible saddle that works with most body types while being fairly light weight.









As the most minimalistic, the N-Series is also the least expensive Infinity saddle at $170. That may seem like a lot for a completely untested (by you) saddle design, but the company offers a 30 day guarantee for comfort and performance. Weighing in at 210g, the N-Series uses injection molded nylon for the seat and includes steel rails in black chrome, gold, chrome, or copper.







Using basically the same design as the N-Series, the L-Series adds a covering of top grain cowhide leather to add a bit of padding and a touch of support in the cutout area. If you can’t get over the looks of the N-Series, this might be the winner. Again available with multiple rail colors, the L-Series is available with tan, black, white, red, or blue leather covers for $240. As a little extra incentive to try it out Infinity is offering $25 off any order at checkout with the code “XMAS25” until the end of the year.

 

^^^WOW!^^^
I would even tempted to try it. But with Ti rails...

 

To the OP: I personally have no experience with the Cobb saddle on a MTB, but one of my buddies has ridden with one for the past year if not two and never complains of saddle soreness. And trust me, that is the equivalent of a positive product review from me. Good luck with the saddle and training.